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Por and Para: Part 2 by Sandra Rosenstiel

You may have learned at some point that the simplest direct translation of both por and para is “for.” However, we've already seen that “for” doesn't nearly cover the bases. Por and para aren't that simple to translate, but they aren't really all that hard to get straight either. Let's look at some additional uses of these two Spanish prepositions:

Por

  • Exchange or Substitution:

    El banco me da cuatro pesos por dólar.

    (The bank gives me four pesos per dollar.)

    Quiero cambiar el lápiz por una pluma.

    (I want to exchange the pencil for a pen.)

  • Rate or Unit of Measure:

    Escribo cincuenta palabras por minuto.

    (I write fifty words per minute.)

    El banco cobra el veinte por ciento de interés.

    (The bank charges twenty percent interest.)

  • Purpose of an Errand:

    Voy por café.

    (I'm going for coffee.)

    • Para

  • Perspective or Opinion:

    Para el jefe, somos muy importantes.

    (We're very important to the boss.)

  • For:Trabajamos aquí para las vacaciones.

    (We're working here for our vacation.)

    • Idiomatic Uses of Por

    There are quite a few idiomatic expressions in Spanish that use por. In fact, you already know some of them. Por ejemplo …

  • por favor (please)

  • por eso (for/because of that, so)

  • por fin (finally, at last)

  • por ahora (for now)

  • por el momento (for the moment)

  • por lo menos (at least)

  • por cierto (by the way, in fact)

  • por supuesto (of course)

  • por si acaso (in case)

  • por la mañana, tarde (in the morning, afternoon)

  • por la noche (at night)

    • Some of these may make perfect sense to you, given what you already know about the uses of por. But, like any good idiomatic expression, there are plenty that don't seem to have any reason at all to include por. Not to worry, though. Once you learn them, you'll realize just how handy they are. Look at some more examples and try to work these expressions into your daily conversations. Practice is the best way to internalize new material, ¡por supuesto!

    Juan normalmente trabaja por la tarde pero, por el momento, no llega.

    (Juan normally works in the afternoon but, for now, he hasn't arrived.)

    Por si acaso Juan no llega, ¿puedes tú quedarte y trabajar por él?

    (In case Juan doesn't arrive, can you stay and work for him?)

    Bueno, puedo quedarme por lo menos tres horas.

    (Well, I can stay at least three hours.)

    Tengo una cita por la noche; por eso me voy a las cinco.

    (I've got a date at night, so I'm taking off at five.)

    Por cierto, hay una fiesta en la casa de Melinda. ¿Quieres ir con nosotros?

    (By the way, there's a party at Melinda's house. Do you want to go with us?)

    Practice: Por and Para

    Now, por el bien de todos, for everyone's good, let's have one more little practice with por and para. Complete each sentence with either por or para, and then check your answers with the answer key in Appendix D.

    • No me gusta este libro; voy a cambiarlo __________ otro.

    • ¿Tienes hambre? ¿Vamos __________ un sándwich?

    • Javier siempre se acuesta temprano __________ levantarse temprano.

    • Tu propuesta es muy interesante. __________ mí es mejor que las otras.

    • Necesitamos __________ lo menos tres personas __________ equipo.

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